Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force has become the first Indian to reach the International Space Station, arriving with an international crew aboard Axiom Mission 4, a privately organised flight operated by Axiom Space. The 39-year-old pilot is serving as the mission’s pilot alongside three other astronauts on a short-duration research stay in low-Earth orbit. In a live video transmitted from orbit on 26 June, Shukla greeted viewers with “Namaskar from space,” describing the launch as “quite a ride” and introducing a soft-toy swan he carried to symbolise wisdom in Indian culture. The message marked India’s first in-orbit address from the ISS. Photographs released by the Indian government on 6 July show Shukla observing Earth through the station’s seven-window Cupola module and carrying out early micro-gravity tasks, capping his first week on board. His flight underscores the growing role of commercial missions in giving national astronauts access to the ISS.